BLOGGER’S NOTE: The next few editions of “Birdseed” will depart from the usual “talk about the Falcons” ritual a bit and focus on the reason why the Flowery Branch headquarters is so quiet this week — the Senior Bowl. AtlantaFalcons.com did not make the trip to Mobile, Ala. for this year’s festivities, but that doesn’t mean we can’t recap/debate what’s happening in this key college all-star game leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft.
Tim Tebow playing in the Senior Bowl is kind of like Elvis playing Radio City Music Hall — a big star doing something normal for his profession, but on a stage that requires a bit more attention.
So little surprise, through one day of practice, the former Florida quarterback, who is regarded by some as one of the best college players of all time, is getting the majority of the attention for the South All-Stars.
Throw in the raging debate about his skills transferring to the pro game and you have yourself quite the feast for the talking heads. His strengths? His last game included more than 500 yards of total offense (rushing and passing). A possible weakness? The fact he’s a quarterback coming from a spread offense.
Feel free to share some of your opinions on Tebow in the comments but, with 2008 Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan in place as the Falcons starting quarterback, I don’t foresee the position as one of the hotter topics for debate.
A Very Falcoholic Discussion: What Position The Falcons Draft First, The Falcholic
The Senior Bowl may be the first pre-draft ritual of the new year but it’s not the first — or last — time Falcons scouts will get a look at college talent. The team started working on the 2010 NFL Draft in earnest last March. What teams do get a chance to do at the Senior Bowl is interview players and see how they react to NFL-style coaching. Also, how quickly can they learn?
Falcons may like cornerback Perrish Cox; Glanville stops by, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
D. Orlando Ledbetter is on location in Mobile. Looking to get him on for a Falconcast at some point in the near future.
Tebow has rough first day at Senior Bowl, ProFootballTalk.com
A little more on Tebow. Again, practice is important at the Senior Bowl.
The Atlanta Falcons And RB Prospect C.J. Spiller, The Falcoholic
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Spiller’s name get thrown around by Falcons fans. With Michael Turner returning, running back may not be the biggest position of need. That said, Jerious Norwood could be an unrestricted free agent (depending on the collective bargaining agreement). Jason Snelling is a restricted free agent. Spiller is not on a Senior Bowl roster.
UGA’s Jeff Owens meets with several NFL teams, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Some more notes from the Senior Bowl. Looks like plenty of Alabama players are in attendance (hard to miss them with Terrance Cody leading the group).
SOME ADDITIONAL SENIOR BOWL RESOURCES:
The first step of any successful project is planning.
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White was a late addition to the NFC Pro Bowl roster
Falcons second-year safety Thomas DeCoud was named to the USA Today All-Joe Team Wednesday afternoon
WrestleMania at the Dome
Fans of professional wrestling in Atlanta won’t have to travel far for one of the epic events in the sport. Earlier this week, the Georgia Dome and WWE announced WrestleMania XXVII will come to the Falcons home in 2011.
Falcons players Ovie Mughelli, Erik Coelman, Verron Haynes and Quinn Ojinnaka and team president Rich McKay were on hand for the announcement press conference.
“Atlanta has a long-standing reputation of hosting the highest level of sports and entertainment events and adding WrestleMania XXVII to the list is a major coup for our great city,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said. “We’ve built our reputation on over-delivering for such prestigious events like the Olympics, Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours and All Star Games. WrestleMania will further showcase Atlanta as one of the leading sports and entertainment capitals of the world and will bring substantial economic impact to Atlanta and the state of Georgia.”
Several representatives from WWE and Atlanta spoke but it was after the press conference Coleman got a chance to chat — and compare notes on being an athlete — with Big Show.
http://video.atlantafalcons.com/video/240067/240067_2010-02-01-161718.1687.flv“I have 70,000 fans staring at me alone as I walk down the ramp,” Big Show said. “It’s not spread out amongst a team; all that pressure is focused on you… The day I go through the curtain and I don’t have butterflies in my stomach is the day I’m going to retire.”
According to WWE, WrestleMania XXV “pumped nearly $50 million into the local Houston economy, as 72,744 fans converged on Reliant Stadium for the event.”
Next year will be the first time WrestleMania will be hosted in Atlanta.